Lee Morgan was a jazz prodigy. He was born in Philadelphia on 10th July 1938 and died in New York City on 19th of February 1972. He studied trumpet and alto horn at Mastbaum High School in his home town and in his teens became familiar with the dynamic jazz scene there - one which spawned such jazz icons as the Heath Bros, Benny Golson, Jimmy Smith, Shirley Scott, Philly Joe Jones and many others-including one John Coltrane.

At age eighteen Lee had his first involvement with Art Blakey subbing for two weeks before opting to get experience playing in the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band - a gig which was to last some two years. In 1958 Blakey came knocking and Lee signed up with The Messengers, staying until 1961 when he was replaced by another rising star - Freddie Hubbard.

This very hot edition of the Messengers rarely recorded commercially and it is gratifying that this moment of jazz history was captured so well in the Dutch North Sea resort of Scheveningen. It leaned heavily on the Benny Golson library (three of his compositions are performed here) and featured the incisive, leaping trumpet of Lee Morgan at the height of his powers. One of Golson's pieces, the classic I remember Clifford (written as a tribute to the late great Clifford Brown- former Messenger and jazz giant) is played here by Lee with fitting panache and humility as Clifford was Lee's mentor since their early contacts at the Music City club in Philly.

Lee Morgan’s short life of just 33 years came to an end in the infamous Slugs Saloon on New York's Lower East Side when he was shot dead during an argument by his common law wife.
Happily for us though, not before the Morgan message was well and truly spread.